1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle front section structure adapted for a frontal collision.
2. Related Art
There are various modes of frontal collision, including full overlap collisions, offset collisions, and oblique collisions. Recently, there are calls for countermeasures against more demanding collision modes, such as small overlap collisions (passing collisions) or similar collisions, in which another vehicle or the like (referred to below as a “barrier”) collides at the vehicle width direction outer side of a front side member.
As an example of a small overlap collision countermeasure, technology has been proposed in which a spacer is provided from a rear face of a vehicle width direction end portion of front bumper reinforcement toward a side face of a front side member (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2014-113894). According to this technology, in the event of a small overlap collision, collision load input to the vehicle width direction end portion of the front bumper reinforcement is transmitted by the spacer to the side face of the front side member. The front side member accordingly undergoes bending deformation toward the vehicle width direction inside, and the bent location contacts a side face of a power unit that is a section of the vehicle where mass is concentrated. Lateral force (force due to inertia) on the power unit is accordingly generated toward the opposite side to the collision side, enabling the vehicle itself to be moved toward the opposite side to the collision side, and moving the vehicle away from a barrier.
Although the above technology is beneficial, further improvement is desired with respect to small overlap collisions. Specifically, in order for collision load to be effectively transmitted from a barrier to a front side member through a spacer, bumper reinforcement needs to make contact with the barrier at an early stage. Moreover, improvement to the shape of a vehicle width direction outer side end portion to the bumper reinforcement is required in order for the collision load to be effectively transmitted to the spacer after the bumper reinforcement has contacted the barrier.
In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle front section structure enabling collision load to be swiftly and effectively transmitted to a front side member in a small overlap collision, and of increasing lateral force generated on a power unit.